Bluey composer and Megan Washington among winners at 2025 Screen Music Awards
The awards were celebrated with several live performances, including music from On The Beach, by Distinguished Services recipient Christopher Gordon. (APRA AMCOS: Cassidy Cloupet)
Bluey composer Joff Bush, Megan Washington and the music for Tony Armstrong's Eat the Invaders were among the winners at the 2025 Screen Music Awards on 28 October.
This is the first time the awards have been held at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall, and proved a big night for Queensland music talent.
Wins for Queensland artists
Joff Bush was the most performed screen composer overseas, a title he also took out in 2023. (Supplied: Griffith University)
Bluey composer Joff Bush took home the award for Most Performed Screen Composer — Overseas.
The beloved Australian series was the most-streamed show in the US in 2024.
Fellow Queenslander Megan Washington won Best Original Song for the Screen for Dream On.
Washington composed Dream On for the film adaptation of Paul Kelly's iconic Christmas song, How to Make Gravy.
Electric Fields, accompanied by a choir led by Deline Briscoe, performed Washington's winning song live at the awards.
Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media went to Brisbane-based video composer Cedar Jones for Feed the Deep.
From first to 11th wins for music across a range of genres
The biggest winner of the night was Cornel Wilczek who won Best Music for Television Drama with Alex Olijnyk for Fake, as well as Best Opening Title Television Theme with Thomas Rouch for the adaptation of Jane Harper's The Survivors.
Winning Most Performed Screen Composer — Australia for the 11th time were long-time collaborators Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks for their work on Farmer Wants a Wife, LEGO Masters, MasterChef and Travel Guides.
Jed Kurzel took out his fourth award for Feature Film Score of the Year for the British period action-drama Tornado. Kurzel has previously won the award for Monkey Man, Slow West and Snowtown.
Ayda Akbal was named Emerging Screen Composer of the Year for her distinctive and growing body of work.
Another first-time winner was Finn Clarke for Best Soundtrack Album for The Raftsmen.
Other winners included Iain Grandage and Josh Hogan with Best Music for Children's Programming for Runt, Helena Czajka for Best Music for a Documentary for Yurlu | Country and Benjamin Speed with Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television Series for Tony Armstrong's Eat the Invaders.
Master and Commander composer honoured with Distinguished Services award
Christopher Gordon, whose blockbuster scores include Master and Commander, was recognised for his contributions to the Australian screen music industry. (Supplied: Twentieth Century Fox Film)
Christopher Gordon, who has composed scores for household-name films like Ladies in Black and Mao's Last Dancer, was presented the award for Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen.
The award was given in recognition of Gordon's extraordinary body of work and enduring contribution to the screen music industry.
Director Bruce Beresford, who has worked with Gordon on several films, presented the award on the night.
The night was hosted by actor David Wenham with Mark Coles Smith and Nathalie Morris. A live orchestra performed selections from nominated works, curated by Music Director Erkki Veltheim.
The awards are presented annually by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers to celebrate excellence and innovation in screen composition.
2025 Screen Music Awards winners and finalists
Feature Film Score of the Year
- Birthright — composed by James Brown
- How to Make Gravy — composed by Samuel Dixon. Published by Downtown Music Publishing
- Spit — composed by Elliott Wheeler
- WINNER: Tornado — composed by Jed Kurzel
Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia
- WINNER: Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks for Travel Guides, MasterChef, Farmer Wants A Wife, LEGO Masters
- Adam Sofo for Travel Guides, MasterChef, Farmer Wants A Wife, LEGO Masters
- Jay Stewart for Seven News, The Block, The Force: Behind the Line, It's Academic
- Mitch Stewart for Travel Guides, MasterChef, Farmer Wants A Wife, LEGO Masters
Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas
- WINNER: Joff Bush for Bluey
- Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks for MasterChef, Married at First Sight, Hardball, Love On the Spectrum
- Anthony Anmar for Married At First Sight, MasterChef, Love On the Spectrum, LEGO Masters
- Mitch Stewart for MasterChef, Married at First Sight, Hardball, Love On the Spectrum
Best Opening Title Television Theme
- In Her Nature — composed by Tammy Ari
- Last Days of the Space Age — composed by Caitlin Yeo. Published by Universal Music Publishing
- Last King of the Cross (Season 2) — composed by Rafael May. Published by Rogue Nation Publishing
- WINNER: The Survivors — composed by Thomas Rouch and Cornel Wilczek. Published by Concord Music Publishing ANZ
Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
- WINNER: "Dream On" from How to Make Gravy — composed by Megan Washington. Published by Origin Music Publishing
- "Five Walls" from NCIS: Sydney (Season 2 Episode 7) — composed by Alana Wilkinson. Published by Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP
- "Warrwurnum" from Journey Home, David Gulpilil — composed by David Bridie and Yirrmal Marika. published by Mushroom Music
- "Monsters" from First Moon — composed by Dominic Cabusi and Bronte Maree O'Neill. Published by Alba Australia Music Publishing obo Alba Blue Music Publishing
Best Soundtrack Album
- Bluey: Rug Island — composed by Joff Bush, Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga, Pluto Jonze, Roy Kellaway, Campbell Messer, Lachlan Nicholson, Steve Peach, Lewis Stiles and Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu. Published by Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
- Moana 2 — composed by Opetaia Tavita Foa'I and Mark Mancina. Published by Universal Music Publishing
- The Order — composed by Jed Kurzel. Published by Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
- WINNER: The Raftsmen — composed by Finn Clarke
Best Music for Children's Programming
- LEGO Monkie Kid: 'Harbinger' — composed by Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Mitch Stewart, Cassie To, Richard LaBrooy, David Bruggemann, Samuel Marks, David Huxtable, Luna Pan and Anthony Ammar. Published by Cooking Vinyl Publishing
- Piki Lullaby — composed by Christine Anu and Rhyan Clapham. Published by Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing
- WINNER: Runt — composed by Iain Grandage and Josh Hogan
- Spooky Files: 'Maximum Badness' — composed by Pascal Babare
Best Music for a Documentary
- A Portrait of a Postman — composed by Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Mitch Stewart, Emma Greenhill, Cassie To, Samuel Marks and Henry Bird
- Deeper — composed by Antony Partos. Published by Sonar Music
- The Golden Spurtle — composed by Simon Bruckard.
- WINNER: Yurlu | Country — composed by Helena Czajka
Best Music for a Short Film
- Ningaloo's Nursery — composed by Mara Schwerdtfeger
- Oil & Water — composed by Hamish Francis and James Mountain
- The Shirt Off Your Back — composed by Joel Byrne and Wade Keighran. Published by Gaga Music
- WINNER: The Way Home — composed by Dale Cornelius. Published by Concord Music Publishing
Best Music for a Television Comedy
- Bump (Season 5 Episode 1) — composed by Josie Mann and Jackson Milas. Published by Sonar Music
- WINNER: Return to Paradise (Season 1 Episode 1) — composed by Jackson Milas and Antony Partos. Published by Sonar Music
- Last Days of the Space Age (Episode 1) — composed by Caitlin Yeo. Published by Universal Music Publishing
- YOLO: Rainbow Trinity (Season 3 Episode 7) — composed by Brendan Caulfield. Published by Universal/MCA Music Publishing
Best Music for a Television Drama
- Black Snow (Season 2 Episode 6) — composed by Jed Palmer and Ziggy Ramo. Published by Sony Music Publishing and peermusic
- WINNER: Fake (Season 1 Episode 5) — composed by Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
- Four Years Later (Season 1 Episode 3) — composed by Isha Ram Das
- Narrow Road to the Deep North (Season 1 Episode 5) — composed by Jed Kurzel
Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television Series
- WINNER: Eat the Invaders — composed by Benjamin Speed
- Million Dollar Secret — composed by Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Brontë Horder, Mitch Stewart, Cassie To, David Bruggemann, Rory Chenoweth and Adam Sofo. Published by BMG
- Murder Down Under: Bodies in the Barrel — composed by Amara Primero, Isabella Lavenuta, Jenna Pratt and Melany Thompson. Published by Cooking Vinyl Publishing and Primechord Music
- Muster Dogs — composed by Mark Walmsley. Published by Universal Music Publishing obo Ambience Entertainment
Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media
- WINNER: Feed the Deep — composed by Cedar Jones
- Pinball Spire — composed by Starling Tan
- Rebel Moon: The Descent — composed by David Barber
- Tempopo — composed by Jeff van Dyck
Best Music for an Advertisement
- Feel New in Sydney — composed by Lukas Farry and Alejandro Gomez Sanchez
- HBO Max — composed by Antony Partos. Published by Sonar Music
- Nodefest 2024 — composed by Scott Langley. Published by Smith and Western Studios
- WINNER: Toyota CH-R Diamond — composed by Lance Gurisik. Published by MassivePublishing
Emerging Screen Composer of the Year
- WINNER: Ayda Akbal
- Felix Wallis
- James Mountain
- Luna Pan